Improved magazine, repeating, and needle gun



E. LINDNER. Magazine Fire-Arm.L

-' Patented June 27, 1854.

A No. 11,197.

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Tui Ecnem umcauwnma w. wAsmNsYoN. D, c.

description.

PATENT OFF ica?.

EDWARD LINDNER, onnnwroemniz.

IMPRovED MAeAziNE, REPEATING, AND NEEDLE elm;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 111,19?, dated June 27', 1854.

.'lio all whom 'it may concern:

Bc it known that I, EDWARD LINDNER, of

tl 'c city of New York, in the county and State oi' New York, have invented a new and useful Self-Loadin g Gun; and I do hereby -declare that the following is a full and exact description of Athe construction and operation of the same,

reference being had" to the accompanying drawings, making part ofLthis specication,

and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure lis au outside view of the gun adapted with the darting-needle (zand nadel) lock. Fig, 2 is a longitudinalsection of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view of the same. Fig.

4 is'alongitudinal section of part of the gun adapted with the percussion-caps lock.

The remaining iguresare views and sections of dii'erent parts thereof, and will be more particularly mentioned in the following The nature ofmyin vention consists in placing below the gun-.barrel a peculiarly constructed barrel, to contain from forty to fifty cartridges, which said cartridges load themselves into a i-evol\ing breechpiece by means of a piston pressing against the cartridges, said piston being worked by a rack, and which rack is worked by the cooking and discharging of the oun.

originally filled into discharged. v

A is the barrel of the gun', screwed into the frame C, which said frame has two side plates or projections', c c, by which the whole is securely fastened to the wooden butt-end of the gun.

y B is the cartridge-barrel, which is likewise screwed into theframe C. This barrel is made very light, and hast-Wo slots, h h, Fi'gsJZ and 5, one at the upper and one at the lower side, running very nearly the whole length, and in which slot'sfa piston, W, is guided, while the same is made to press (if the barrel filled with cartridges)kagainst the cartridges. This barrel B and the barrelv of the gun A are connected together by two side plates, m m,

Fig. 5, but attached to the same in such a v manner that the rack E and the projections section.

of the piston 'W' can more freely between the same. At the fore end a guide, p, for the rack AE is fastened between thoseside'plates.

E is a rack, made round at each end. At the fore end it is guided in the piece p, as above described, andat thebaok enditpasses through the center-piece Y,screwed into the frameG, and guided thereby. Besides those guides at both ends, a long slot,'K, is made about the center of the raek, Fig. 2, into which a steel key, K', Figs. l and 2, is fitted, so as to allow it to slide easily and-act as a guide in that part. On the lower side of. this rack teeth Z l l are out the whole lengh, exactly the same distance 4one from the ot er as the'length of one cartrdge,'and are llikewise of the same number as the number of cartridges 4which can be put into the barrel B. .At theA after end of the rack an arm', S, is firmly attached, and connected with a rod,- O,`as will be hereinafter described.

v W is a piston,'which slides n'. the barrelB, Fig. 2, and shown in side View and section, Figs. 6 and 7'. The forward part, d, is made round, andthe after part, g, is made square and projecting, and fitted to slide easily in the slotsh hof the-barrel B. Through this square part g the pin o'passes, the vupper g end', s, of which is so shaped as to iit into the By .this self-loadin g apparatus I am enabled to re'oii', in, quick succession, one cartridge; after the other, without taking the gun from theA shoulder, until the vvwhole amount of charges the cartridge-barrel are teeth of the4 rack; .and at the lower end a thumh-ring,fa,is fastened on to facilitate taking the piston out of the barrel. This square part g isbored'out sufficiently large to admit of a spiral spring round the piu o, so as to make the latter always bear against the face of the rack E.

D is a cylindrical revolving breech-piece, exactly ttedand ground into the frame C,

and turns 'upon `the center-piece or arbor Y. y 4This breech-piecefcontains six chambers, ff

f, as shown. in Figs. 8 and 2 in end view and These chambers are only part of the Way bored in, and about the length of the cartridges, and if, as in Figs. 1, 2, 3, the gun is made with the-darting needlelaund cordel) lock, only a small hole, e, is. drilled through, to 'allow the needle to enter freely, and to serve at -thesame time to lock this -breech-piece 'rmly to the frame, as will be hereinafter described.

T is the lock-spring fastened near the mid-U die -QE the frame C, iig. 2, having av pin, e',

e' n. w1

attached to it, which, after passing through a correspomjling hole in the frame C, enters one of the holes c inthe breech-piece l), .thereby locking the 'breech-piece firmly to the tip-ame C, for the purpose ot' insuring that the charges shall bein a line with the gun-barrel before the firing takes place, and an ,empty hole opposite the cartridge-barrel to receive a fr ish charge. 'The lock-spring is thrown out ol' this position by a {nqiectioin w, attached to the rod O, whenit is required to turn the breechpiece.

X is a tubeor box fast on the lowerside lot' the ame C, or screwed on. as shown i ni Fi gs. l and 2, which contains the rod provided with the spiral spring l), and which rod I shall call the spring-rod. The spring-rod has a collar, q, forged on, against whieh'the spiral spring l bears. Dhis coliaris bored through to receive. the pin V, by which the breech-piece D is turned. Thispin V rests upon a sliding piece, U, which is fastened to the under 'side of the spring-rod O in such amanner as to allow the same to slide backward and forward, but at the same time to go with the spring-rod when the latter is moved. Thesliding' piece U has ltwo projections, fr' and u, 'so placed that while the same is carried along with the spring-rod O it will be stopped at the proper place by coming in contact with the back end of the tube X, while the spring-rod iinishes its motion. Where thepiu V rests upon the sliding piece vU the same is made tapering or wedge-shaped, by which means the pin V will be raised or depressed. To insure always a fair bearing of the pin Vagaiust the proper surface of the Wedge-shaped part ot" the sliding piece U, this pin is provided'with a small spring, m'. The spring-rod O receives' its guide in the tribe X. At the backward end is the head H, screwed on the spring-rod, whichfastens likewise the arm S to this spring-rod, through which saidarin S its motion is communicated to the'rack E. The head H rests against the lower rounded part, Q, ot' the hammer L. On the upper side of the spring-rod O is the pro jection w, which acts upon lthe lock-spring T,

as before described.

On the outside of the breech-piece I) are six grooves, 7c k Ic, Figs. l and 8, turned on spirally, and in which the pin V is made to work, and turn thereby the breech-piece by everymovementone-sixth partround, by which operation a charged hole is eaehtime brought in a line with the gun-barrel and an empty hole or chamber opposite the cartridge-barrel. The revolving breech-piece D is turned ou each side a little down iinsh with the bottoni of the grooves lc, on' which the pin V rises up to the next groove after having turned the each-piece one-sixth part round. When thespring-rod O is relieved by the lower part, Q, ot' the hammer L, it is forced out by the action of the spiral spring l, and moves through the connecting-arms S the rack E back-wma, by which Ameans the piston W is iikewise'ibrought back, pushing one cartridge into oneot the empty chambers'ot' the breechpiece. as this motion is justequal to the length of one cartridge.

XVhen the rack is again moved forward the inclined plane, going'from one tooth l in the rack to the other tooth, lin-ccs the pin o ot' the piston W down, allowing thereby the rack to slide-over it and to its iirst position, while the piston remainsstationary, when the upper end, s, ot' the pin ot'alls in the following tooth, ready -for the next action.

`Fig. 5 is aseetion through the line Ill and IV, showing the f'ront face ot' the frame (i, with the arrangement of the rannning-hammer and cleanii'igbrush.

M the ramming-hammer, fastened on the front side of the frame C, so arranged as to come opposite one of the chambers f oi the breech -picoe It), which said einnnber, al'ter having first received. a charge i'rom the eartridge-barrel, as above described, is brought opposite to it, when the charge is,by the action of this hammer, brought home.

Theramming-hammer is acted upon through its arm .fr by the pin V after said pin has first fulfilled its action of turning the breech-piece l) one-sixth part round. Between the hammer M and the face ,of the frame is a small spring, to force the hannner out ofthe clnnnber f as soon as the arm relieved from the action Ot' the pin Vl R is thecleai'iing-lnui h, situated on the opposite side of the ramming-hammer, and se arranged as to come likewise opposite one oi the chambers f, and connected with the rack E, receiving therefrom a forward-a1idlbaekward motion, thereby cleaning the chambers alt-ernatel f as they are brought round after having been discharged. [n Figs. l, 2, and 3, where the gun is represented with-the darting needle (zand nadat) lock, the' dai-ting needle, hammer, spring, tbc, are situated between the side plates c c of the frame C.

F is a box screwed on the back ofthe frame C in a line with the gun-barrel A, containing' the needle-carrier (,lr with the dartiug-needle. A coiled spring abats against the forward end of' a collar tast on the .needle-carrier r, Fig. 2, andabutting with its back end against the frame C, by which the needle is always kept. and forced out of the revolving breeeh-p1ece7 except when pressed in by the. hammer to pierce the bottom yof the cartridge and ignite the same by a friction eonibnst-ible primine'. rlhe needle-carrier G- acts at the same ti me as a guide for the needle.

L is the hammer, turning onA the. pin 1. fast in the side plates, c e. lhis hammer is provided with stops or catches in connrction with the trigger and spring, tbc., in the'usual way.

The upper end ot' the hannner L, which has to press the needle-carrier into the charge, is made with a joint, Finzi), to allow the top en.'l, b, to lift up'after having pressed in suiliciently far the needle-carrier, and ignited thereby the cartridge, so as to enable a quick backward motion of the needle-carrier, and allowing the same to pass under this topend, b, ofthe hammer. At the side of the hammer L is a small spring, t, pressing against the jointlof the piece b, and/ forcing the same back again into its proper place when the hammer is cocked.

z, Figg Vis a piece fastened againstthe side of the plates c c, having an inclined surface,

upon which one side of the hammer-top b needle into the cartridge to effect thedischarge.

During the whole time ofthe discharge lthe needle remains in the gun, and is therefore subjected to be heated to such a degree as to be detrimental to the saine. v

In my arrangement the' needle is acted upon by the upper part of a hammer constructed in such a manner that, afterthe same has pressed the needle sufliciently far into the cartridge to iniiame the priming, said upper part of the ham- Iner is suddenly thrown up, thereby setting the needle at liberty, when said needle is, by the action of A a spring, quickly forced out of the cartridge and allowed to pass under said upper part of the hammer, by which quickreturning motion any heatingof the needle is `effectually prevented.

The action of the gun is as follows: After the cartridge-barrel B has been filled wi-th cartridges, the piston W is put in, with the cylindrical part inward, and the upperend,

s, of the same will then it in one of the teeth lof the rack E. Then -move the rack three` times backward and` forward, when the revolving breech-piece D will have been charged in four chambers, and the gun is ready to discharge. N ow pull thek trigger Z, when the hammer will be set 'at liberty, pressing the needle into the4 charge and igniting. the same, thereby discharging the gun. By this action the spring P forces the spiral rod() outward, taking with' it the rack E, through the connecting-arm S, whereby the piston W is pressed against the cartridges, and, having moved just the length of one cartridge. has pushed one of the sameinto an empty chamber of the breech-piece D'. By this motion of' the rack E, the cleaning-brush R has entered one of the former-discharged chambers in the breech-piece, ready to sweep the same out by the next motion. The lock-spring T has Abeen thrown out of gear by the stop or projection w on the spiral rod O, as before described, leaving the breech-pieceD thereby at liberty to be turned round by the nextmovement. The pin V. has likewise left the arm whereby the ramming-hammer M. has come outof.

the chamber of the breech-piece D. Non press the lower part of the hammer L from you until the piece y (in connection with thc trigger Z) abnts against the stop or catches, when the hammer Will be whole-cocked and ready to iire oli' again. By this action of cockingfthe spring P of the spiral rod O has been compressed, the spiral rod pressed in, and

therefore, through the connecting-arm S, thel rack E moved forward, bringing the piston Win connection with the next tooth in said rack, The pin V in the spiral rod O has passed through one of the spiral slots kon the outside ot' the revolving breech-piece D, thereby turning' the same one-sixth round, A chamber containing a fresh charge is hereby brought opposite the gun-barrel and an empty chamber ina line with the cartridge-barrel. lhe lock-spring T has likewise been set at liberty, and the pin e has entered one of the centerholes e of the breech-piece D.' locking there by firmly the latter to the frame C. The cleaning-brush It has, by the rack E, been drawn out of the chamber in the breech-piece, and thereby cleaned the same ready for a new charge. The pin V, after having turned the breech-piece' D, acts now upon the arm c' of' the ramming-hannner M, and presses the latter thereby `on the cartridge, by which the same is brought home. If, now, the trigger Z is pulled again, the gun will be discharged a second time, and the whole above-describedaction repeated; and this', it will be perceived,

can be performed in as quick succession as" maybe desired, 'and as long as any cartridges' 'remain in thebarrelB. l

When the cartridgebarrel B is empty, then pull the thumb-ring n, thereby bringing the top end, s, clear of the `teeth l in the rack E, when the piston W may be slid out of the cartridge-barrel B and the same lled again with cartridges, and; proceed as above described.

Should it be required Yto take any of the charges out of the chambers of the revolving breech-piece D, the same can be done by dis- .engaging either the ramming-hammer M or the sweeping-brush R.

Instead of 4the lower box or tube, X, which contains the spring-rodV O with spring, the

sliding piece, &c., the same may be taken away and changed by placing the spring directly round the rack E, as represented in Figs. 10 and. 1l.

The revolvingbreech-pieceDhas,in that case, six spiral grooves cut on the inside of its center hole. The pin V, to work in those grooves,

' lturning thereby the breech-piece, is then attached to the rack E. A slot is made in the center-piece Y, to allow the pin V ,to pass through the same. The rack- E is, in that case, acted on by a projection, u, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,) fast ou the hammer L.

Instead of the rack E, a screw with a very coarse pitch may be used, running the whole Ilength of the barrels,and situated in the saillie g place as the rack E at present, having, instead of the connecting-arlnS, gearing which will be moved by the hammer L when the gun is i fired off. The pistoiUW is, in that case, worked by this screw. The advantage of this is rincipally that while by the use of the racl the cartridges must all be of equal length, in this arrangement I can increase or. diminish the amount of motion ofthe piston W so as to suit the length of the cartridges. l

In Fig. 4, which represents a part of the ,emu-as` adapted to percussion-caps, the feeding or self-charging arrangement remains the same as above described.

The revolving breechfpiece D has here sii` plugs, a a a', screwed in the back behind the chambersff, a section of which is again shown in Fig. 12. The plugs are provided with` nipples a', to receive the percussion-caps, and on the inside are small knives of, or their equivalents, to pierce the bottom of the charges when brought home by the ramming-hammer M, as

above described, so as to allowr the powder-to enthrow off the percussion-caps after the same have been fired off and are relieved from the ham mer? D is a box screwed to the back ofthe frame C, to hold the percussion-caps, and provided with springs in such a manner that, by the ac- Y tion of the same, one cap is pressed througha corresponding hole in the back of the frame C on the nipple n as-it is brought opposite the hole. A projection, m", is likewise made on this box, to act as guide for the toggle?l of the'haminer L in its action upon the cap.

L is the hammer, provided with a toggle, r', capable of. a slight motion, and guided, as above described, in the projection m, to insure always a horizontal motion, thereby pressing fair against the percussion-cap while firing the same off. A;

To facilitate the opening orv piercing process of the cartridges bythe knives in these self loading percussion-cap guns, I make my cartridges, as represented in Fig. 13, by covering the bottom end of the same, instead of, as at present, with paper, with a thin skin or its equivalent, which, through its stiffness and hardness, is feasily pierced.

The action of this gun is in everyy particular exactly the same as above described.

For fortifications, or where the gun can be y rested upon anything, the saine may be made with three or more cartridge-barrels, as represented in Figs. 14 and 15, where C is a part of the frame into which the gun-bariel .A is screwed, as well as the cartridge-barrels B.

E represents the rack. o o are the pins passing through the piston W, which slide in the barrels B., pressing against the cartridges, as above described.

To use this arrangement of gun, turn the rack E so that there will be a connection with the piston of one of the cartridge-barrels, and

shoot as often as there are charges in the same; then turn the-rack E round, so as to come in action with another piston of another barrel,

and so on until they are all empty. By this mea-ns from two hundred to two hundred and.

fifty charges maybe fired out of this one barrel in quick succession, and in a very short time,

4accordin g to' the number of cartridge-barrels.

Fig. 16 is a section through the line VI and VII of Fig. 4, showingthe position ofthe knives o on the plugs a' in the bottom of the chambers. Fig. 17 is a section through the line I and II of Fig. l 4, showing the percussion-cap box and its inner arrangement.

1. I do not claimthe' barrel B containing the charges, but I; `claim the application of vthe rack E,'situatcd between the gun-barrel A and the cartridge-barrel B, and the construction of the piston W, in connection with said rack, for the purpose of pressing the cartridges into the .revolving Ibreech-piece, subg stantially as described.

2. I do not claim the needle for the purpose of igniting the priming, but I claim the spiral spring round the needle, together with the toggle-joint at the upper end of the hammer L, constructed'as set forth, and acting upon 'the needle in such a manner that, after said toggle-joint has pressed the needle sufficiently far into the cartridge to ignite the priming, said toggle-joint is forced upward, allowing thereby the needle to spring suddenly back andpass under the toggle-joint, by the action yof .theabove-mentioned spring, and by which quick-returning motion any-heating ofthe needle is prevented.

3. I de not claim the revolving breech-piece with spiral grooveson the outside circumference, but I claim the arrangement and manner of working the pin V, by which the revolving breech-piece is made to turn snbstantially as described.

4. I claim covering the `bottom of the carv piero-lv l tridgeswith a thin skin to facilitate the ing process of the same.

5. Iclaim the ramming-hammer M, worked inthe manner and for forth.

EDWARD LINDNER.V Witnesses: l l l Y HENRY E. ROEDER, E. A. BoURRY.

the purpose herein seti' 

